The Nakuru Branch Chairman for the Kenya Council of Emergency Services (KCEMT) Brodrick Ochieng has underscored the importance of widened first aid training all over the country saying it helps individuals provide immediate care to an injured person or when experiencing a medical emergency.
Ochieng said it was critical for every household in the country to have at least one member skilled in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) since it’s a lifesaving technique that’s useful in many emergencies, such as heart attack or near drowning, in which someone’s breathing or heartbeat has stopped.
While speaking Monday at the Nakuru National Library during the annual Emergency Medical Service (EMS) week, Ochieng noted that when a person’s heart stops beating, they are in cardiac arrest and they cannot pump blood to the rest of the body, including the brain and the lungs. The EMS weeks commenced on the 21st and ends on the 27th of May.
Additionally, he said CPR could keep oxygen-rich blood flowing to the brain and other organs until the patient gets evacuated to the nearest medical centre, hence the importance of more people knowing how to position the patient and perform it efficiently.
He commended the emergency medical care volunteers in the country who mainly work for the St. John’s Ambulance and the Red Cross who have played a critical role in saving the lives of people involved in the numerous road accidents across the country.
He noted that on a daily basis, acutely ill and injured people of all ages seek care from emergency medical caregivers, despite their low recognition in the country.
He appealed to the government to establish a centralized unit emergency care centre with an easy-to-remember toll-free number, to make it easy for wananchi to call and assist anyone in distress.
Currently, the calls to the St. John’s Ambulance are charged and the ambulance services range from a minimum of Sh5000, which he said was a deterrent to those who might not afford their fee.
By Veronica Bosibori
